Arne Svenson: The Neighbors

Neighbors

Arne Svenson

In 2012 I began photographing the residents of the building that had been recently constructed across the street from my studio. The apartments were floor to ceiling glass, broken up only by the Mondrian-like mullions, affording me an unfettered view of the quotidian activities of my neighbors. I was transfixed by the divergent narratives, obstructed by reflections and the patina of dust on glass, that were created in the segmented windows. I was stringent about not revealing their identities -- I was not photographing these subjects as specific, identifiable personages, but more as representations of human kind, of us. Therefore, I only reveal the turn of the head, the back against a window, the legs under a table; those tiny, private, scenarios and actions that portray a humanness that is unconsciously truthful and tender.

Ultimately the issue of privacy became paramount to the reception, and perception, of The Neighbors series. Just before the exhibition opened at Julie Saul Gallery, NYC (2013) the family of one of the subjects pictured filed an injunction against the show and a lawsuit claiming invasion of privacy, amongst other charges. A social media/news firestorm ensued and the photographs were reproduced thousand of times on the Internet, television and in print media. I was both vilified for invading the privacy of these subjects and celebrated for defending artist's first amendment rights. The case was settled in my favor in August 2013, but then the plaintiffs filed an appeal, which was also settled in my favor in 2015. Defending myself against these charges was one of the greatest challenges of my life, but given censorship as the alternative, I had no choice.

- Arne Svenson